Many workpieces must be tempered, for example by cold or hot forming, after their actual production so that they achieve the desired material properties or so that those material properties which have been lost due to deformation are restored.
In particular, stainless steel tubes are annealed after cold pilger rolling or cold drawing in order to increase the ductility of the material.
To ensure maximum production capacity, tempering the workpieces is preferably carried out in a belt furnace, wherein the workpiece is actively advanced through the furnace during the tempering.